Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension and tinnitus as there was a duty to assist error regarding obtaining VA examinations prior to the November 2019 rating decision.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's TDIU claim should be remanded for further development, including referral to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for extraschedular consideration. The issues include determining whether the Veteran is unemployable due to service-connected disabilities prior to July 29, 2016.

The Veteran was granted service connection for various conditions, including sleep apnea, herpes simplex, insomnia and nightmare disorder, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, etc., effective August 1, 2017.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to service-connected sinusitis. The remaining issues of increased ratings for migraine headaches, hiatal hernia, lumbosacral spine disability, cervical spine disability, and right shoulder disability are remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a scar residual of a left arm vaccination is granted. The right wrist disability and tinnitus cases are denied, with the right wrist case being remanded due to insufficient evidence.,Service connection for a right knee disability and bilateral hearing loss remains pending as additional examination and medical opinions are needed.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was previously remanded, and the Board finds that he should be given one more opportunity to complete the required VA Form 21-8940. If still not meeting schedular requirements, his case will be submitted to the Director of Compensation for extra-schedular consideration.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence of a nexus between the conditions and in-service noise exposure, and the claims were not related to any presumptive exposure.

Service connection for tinnitus is granted as the Veteran's lay testimony supports a finding that his tinnitus began during service and has continued to present day.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is denied as there is no current diagnosis of such condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The issue of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD with anxiety disorder, is remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further action due to issues related to CUE in a previous rating decision and the need to determine an earlier effective date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his service, including exposure to hazardous noise levels during basic training. As a result, service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetic nephropathy with hypertension, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss, do not render him unemployable due to his significant past work experience as a police officer.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is as likely as not attributable to his now service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a nerve disability was granted, and he was awarded service connection for tinnitus, sleep apnea, headache disability, and TDIU. The remaining issues were remanded.

The Veteran's effective date for the increased rating of 70 percent for generalized anxiety disorder is set at November 2, 2016. The effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits are also set at this date.

The Board has granted service connection for coronary artery disease secondary to the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder, but denied service connection for tinnitus as a neurological symptom due to undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness related to Gulf War service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's character of discharge from service is not a statutory or regulatory bar to receiving VA benefits, thus granting his appeal for basic entitlement to VA benefits.

The Veteran's tinnitus was not shown to have started during service and is not otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.,Systemic lupus and dermatitis of the face, neck, ears, fingers, and hands were not shown as chronic in service and are not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran's tinnitus was diagnosed years after separation from service and is not considered service-connected.